When Piper Evans stumbled into Jack Alexander’s life, he
knew things were about to change. Her free spirit and noncommittal
attitude left him wanting more. A lot more—he wanted forever. Unfortunately,
forever becomes complicated when fate has other plans.

But that was years ago...

Still shattered by guilt, Jack lives his life in agony
over the past—never embracing the present. But when Jovie Blake shows up
demanding a piece of his heart, the past he thought he'd buried comes crashing
down around him, forcing him to confront what he had lost so long ago.

Regret is inevitable, and no one’s heart is safe. Can
fate be so twisted and cruel?

The story of Jack
and Jovie is a touching one where the author bravely examines the
socially debilitating condition of Anxiety Attacks.

Right from the get
go, it is clear that both these characters come with baggage.
Unfortunately, due to life as it is, there are only a set amount of
circumstances that can be used as “baggage” in a romance novel, so
as a result, the outcome of the story is fairly predictable, and thus
the reason for my score of 4 stars, my actual rating would be 9/10,
therefore a 4.5, because, the despite that, the story is well told, and
in my opinion, well researched.

Jack’s occupation
of a tattoo artist is well explored and many of the scenes play off
in the tattoo parlour, where we also meet Annie and Fish, his
colleagues and friends. Jovie’s job as a waitress also plays a
role in the background of the story, unfortunately her college life
is only mentioned in passing. HOWEVER! The characters, even the
supporting characters, are well developed and play off well against
each other. They are complete people whom some I really liked, and one
or two I wanted to smack. The characters were real enough to me that,
after 2 other books, they are still fresh in my mind, and while I was
reading the book, I was thinking of it while doing my chores and
wanting to get back to it. There is also a thread of lighthearted
fun and humour threading through what could potentially have been an
angst filled darker read.

This author has
relied on good storytelling and solid research to get her point
across. The love scenes are well described and bad language is used
mostly in the context of guy talk.

All in all this is
an enjoyable read that keeps one turning pages and I wholeheartedly
recommend it.

About the Author

Emery grew up in Southern Arkansas and
has lived most of her adult life in Northern Louisiana. She loves real life
romance…lots of angst and heartbreak, but always a happy ending. She spends her
days working as a Nurse Practitioner in rural health and her nights reading,
writing, and occasionally sleeping.